Aim: Study and simulate Axial Mode Continuous Taper Helix Antenna at 1GHz and Gain

10dB in HFSS
Introduction:
Helical antennas, or helixes, are relatively simple structures with one, two or more wires each
wound to form a helix, usually backed by a ground plane or shaped reflector and driven with
an appropriate feed .

The geometry of a conventional helix parameters are

D = diameter of helix
S = spacing between turns
N = number of turns
C = circumference of helix = pD
A = total axial length = NS
a = pitch angle
If one turn of the helix is unrolled, as shown in Figure 2.1(b), the relationships between
S,C,a and the length of wire per turn, L , are obtained as:
S = L sina = C tana
L = (S 2 + C2 )1/ 2 = (S 2 +p 2D2 )1/ 2




Modes of Operation:

Helix operating modes
(i) Normal mode Direction of maximum radiation is normal to helix axis
(ii) Axial mode Direction of maximum radiation coincide with helix axis

The normal mode occurs when C is small compared to a wavelength and the
axial mode occurs when C is on the order of a wavelength. For most applications, the axial
mode is used. Hence, the following discussion will focus on the endfire mode of operation for
a helical antenna.


Parameter ranges for optimum performance of helix:

Parameter Optimum Range
Circumference

Pitch angle

Number of turns 3 < N < 15
Wire diameter Negligible effect
Ground plane diameter
At least

Helical Antenna with Tapered End
This structure provides significant improvement in the axial ratio over a wide bandwidth.
According to them, the axial ratio improves as the cone angle t is increased.